Orange County Child Support Lawyer

Calculating Child Support Payments

It is important to parents that their children receive the best possible quality of life. When you are going through a divorce, deciding the amount of child support paid by the spouse without physical custody is often one of the most important aspects.

Child support in California is calculated using the following numbers:

Number of children needing support

Gross monthly income of the custodial parent

Gross monthly income of the non-custodial parent

Age of the child(ren) involved

Parents' earning potential

If you have questions about how your children will be supported in your divorce, an Orange County divorce attorney at The Law Office of Bruce C. Bridgman can advise you on what you can expect when you are going through your marriage dissolution. Often, child support issues can become hotly contested. It is the duty of your attorney to advocate your best interests and those of your children.

Mr. Bridgman and his legal team are dedicated to providing you with the best possible representation in order to maintain your rights and the rights of your children. After the divorce has been finalized, the amount of child support may be modified in order to reflect how the situation may have changed. Mr. Bridgman and his team can offer you skilled advice and representation in this area as well.

Establishing Child Support Responsibility

The law clearly defines the different types of parents that may or may not be responsible for child support. If you had a child by a woman whom you were never married to, and your paternity has been established, you are legally recognized as the acknowledged father. As an acknowledged father, you are responsible, by law, to pay child support. A presumed father may be held responsible for child support even if blood results reveal he is not the biological father.

The presumed father is recognized as one of the following:

A man married to the mother of a child when the child is born.

A man attempting to marry a woman when she becomes pregnant.

A man marrying the mother of a child after his or her birth, and agreeing to have his name on the child's birth certificate.

A man who openly claims a child as his own.

An equitable parent is a spouse who is neither a biological or adoptive parent, but has been granted custody of a child. Courts usually do this when a spouse has established a close relationship with the child, and considers him or herself a parent and the biological parent agrees with this. If the marriage is dissolved, then this equitable parent may be held accountable for child support payments.

How much child support will my children receive?

It is impossible to calculate that number without actually meeting you and speaking to you about your situation. Every divorce is different and every situation calling for child support deserves a unique approach and careful investigation in order to determine the best course of action for the children. Your Orange County child support lawyer at The Law Office of Bruce C. Bridgman is ultimately concerned for your needs and your rights, as well as those of your children, and you will receive the care and attention that you need and deserve throughout the duration of your divorce.